Reincarnation
by What a Rubber Chicken
Summary: A year after the Final Battle, Adrien finds himself lost in thought. And then someone else finds him too. (Originally written for Marichat May 2018 - 31) Warning: Character deaths and Really Bad puns.


Originally written for Marichat May 2018 - 31

* * *

 **Reincarnation**

Adrien sipped his coffee slowly, watching the people all around him. Mostly tourists, enjoying the view of the Eiffel Tower from this outdoor café. The Tale of the Battle of Paris was still on everyone's lips, even a year later. He even saw one little girl dressed up as Ladybug. The sight made him smile, even as his heart clenched, and he unconsciously fumbled for the ring that hung on a chain around his neck.

Not his real one, of course. That had been surrendered when Master Fu had taken the other Miraculouses. Not that he minded too much. It wouldn't feel right, transforming without… her.

" _Sorry, chaton…,"_ her whisper echoed through his mind. _"Maybe… we'll meet again in the next life."_

" _I'll be waiting,"_ he'd promised, his voice just as strained. Both of their injuries had made it impossible for him to even crawl over and hold her one last time.

The cold of the ring bit into his palm and he looked down at it. _'An heirloom,'_ his father had written in his will.

 _Yeah, right._

It was nothing more than a reminder of everything they'd lost that night. One final accusation for not listening to his 'loving father' and helping him bring his mother back. A lingering reminder that he would never see the love of his life again….

Adrien was pretty sure his father had expected him to throw it in the trash immediately. And he almost had. But the reminder of better days—bright laughter, warm hugs, and sweet, sweet kisses that had made a purr rumble through his whole being—he hadn't been able to fully give that up.

" _Damn it, Bug,"_ he thought, not for the first time, _"how can we find each other in the next life if you didn't let me die?"_

She'd kept quiet about her own injuries while the first-responders worked on Chat, who was bleeding more profusely. The firs- responders had said she'd even been talking with them normally, right up until she'd simply passed out and never woken up again. It was only after her transformation dropped that they'd discovered just how much she'd been bleeding internally.

Chat, however, they'd been able to save. Chat, whom they'd gotten to first. Chat, who then had to watch his own father get arrested for terrorizing a city, only to be released later because nobody could _prove_ he was Hawkmoth. They sure weren't going to give him the Miraculous back so he could transform and incriminate himself. And unless they had that solid proof, well… he had the best lawyers money could buy.

Master Fu had shrugged and said it didn't matter. _Unless they were willing to redeem themselves, villains never did well once their evil plans were thwarted,_ he'd said, giving Adrien a sad look as he put the Miraculous away for the last time.

He'd turned out to be right. The company never recovered; people quit left and right rather than be in the same room as the un-convicted supervillain. And a few months later, Nathalie had called to inform him that his father had taken his own life.

Adrien hadn't cried.

He'd stood at the funeral, silent and respectful as the priest said the words, but as soon as it was over, his feet had carried him over to another grave. There, and only there, had he allowed himself to break down and weep for what he'd lost. What he'd truly lost.

"Mrow?"

Adrien blinked and looked down as he was once again jolted out of his thoughts. He smiled at the young tortoiseshell who was currently rubbing up against his leg. Even now, cats seemed unnaturally-attracted to him.

"Hello," he said, bending down to pet the sweet creature. "You're sure a pretty girl—WHOA!" he cried as she suddenly leapt into his lap. He laughed weakly. "Friendly little thing, aren't you?"

He scratched her under the chin, relaxing as she purred and leaned into his touch. Then her eyes opened and she fixed Adrien with a sky-blue stare. His heart skipped a beat at the color—so familiar and beloved. Exactly like—

He studied his new friend a bit closer. She was young, probably not even a year old, and her coloring was both tabby and tortoiseshell—a tortie, if he remembered his cat breeds correctly. Her body was a mix of black and blue spots and patches, and her face was a split mask, one half being cream with little black spots that almost looked like freckles, and the other half a large black patch that looked like… a mask.

Ladybug's mask.

He stopped petting the little cat, waiting for her to jump down once she realized she wasn't going to get anymore pats. He was going crazy now, seeing Ladybug and Marinette in a stray—

The little tortie suddenly rose up on her hindlegs and, carefully but deliberately, put her paw on Adrien's nose. He blinked, more surprised than worried that she'd scratch him. Her claws were carefully retracted as she continued to stare him down. Then, just as deliberately, she gave his nose just a bit of a push, up and back.

Just like Ladybug used to when she was feeling playful.

Just like Marinette used to when she'd tease him. Or scold him. Or—

"Marinette?" he whispered, nearly choking on the word. The cat sat back down and gave him a long, slow blink. Adrien's throat closed and his eyes filled with tears. With a hoarse cry, he threw his arms around the tiny cat and hugged her.

"MRRROW!" came the angry protest.

"Sorry, sorry!" he laughed, immediately loosening his grip a bit. Any other cat would scratched and bit him by now. This one just purred louder and rubbed her head against his chin.

It was her. It had to be.

"OMG, Mari, OMG. My lady… princess…!" Adrien murmured, unable to stop himself from stroking her fur. She leaned into it eagerly. He took a deep, shaky breath and looked at her again. "You did it. You found me!"

She gave him a very self-satisfied look and settled herself down on his lap. Adrien couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of him.

"And you—you're a… you're a Mari-chat!" he howled, tears of laughter seeping out. He wasn't surprised at all to feel her claws flex on his jeans as she gave him an unimpressed stare. But he couldn't help it.

A cat. She'd come back to him as a cat. A spotted cat, no less! How—completely perfect! And torties… weren't they considered lucky cats? Money cats, they were called in America. How completely like his lady!

"So," he said, once he'd calmed down enough to talk again, "I guess this means you'll be the one hanging out in my bedroom and eating snacks now, huh? Gonna get me back for all the trouble I got into as Chat?"

"Mew," Mari-chat chirped primly. Then she stood up, made eye contact with him, and calmly and deliberately pushed his coffee cup off the table.

Adrien yelped and shot to his feet, automatically scooping her up in his arms as he did. He glared down at her, fighting back a grin as she simply purred back at him even louder than before.

"YOU—" he began, but then he melted. "—I love you," he finished, shaking his head at himself. Settling her more comfortably his arms, he headed for home, already planning all the changes he was going to make to make her more comfortable there.

And for the first time in a long time, he was looking forward to what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

End.


End file.
